School Play
by Megami-Sama88
Summary: Ichigo's class performs a play for the Tanabata Festival.
1. Class Project

Chapter 1: Class Project

"Alright class! Listen up!" professor Misato Ochi said loudly. She looked smugly over her students with a sinister smile across her face. She looked a bit deranged and her class shifted in their seats uncomfortably, wondering what she was going to say.

"I organized a class project. We are going to perform a play" she said gleefully. There was a collective groan from her entire class and some students covered their faces with their hands. She smirked. "We are nearing the Tanabata, and there is going to be a Festival for two weeks straight from now, until July 7th. We have until then to perfect this play" she continued.

"But that's only about 2 weeks!" one of her students complained. The teacher grinned.

"What's the play about?" another student asked.

"It's about the Tanabata myth, of course," professor Ochi answered, "only this is going to be a tragedy" she added darkly. The students looked at each other.

Keigo, Ichigo Kurosaki's friend, leaned in close to him and whispered "Rumor has it her boyfriend broke up with her".

"Keigo Asano! I heard that!" the teacher barked. Keigo immediately fell silent, hanging his head.

"So anyways," she continued, glaring at Keigo who was fiddling with his pencil not looking at her, "I have all the characters picked out already. Chizuru, please do me the favor of passing out these scripts and lists of characters".

The bubbly, scarlet haired girl happily went through the entire class, peering into Orihime Inoue's blouse as she passed her the script. The class fell silent as they studied the papers and their prospective lines; leaving a few students looked relieved.

"I'm going to be the ferry man" Mizuiro Kojima said calmly, looking over the papers that were placed in front of him.

"Oh, great! I'm part of the special effects team!" another student said. The class began to talk animatedly about their role in the play. After a few minutes of looking over the scripts and characters, the class seemed to slowly warm up to the play. Orihime shyly approached Ichigo.

"Kurosaki-kun… what role did you get?" she asked, peering at him with her wide eyes.

"I'm playing the part of some guy named Kengyu" he answered shrugging. Orihime turned bright pink.

"Oh? Is that right? I'm playing the part of the emperor's daughter, Orihime" she said smiling shyly at him.

"And I'm the emperor" Chad said seriously behind them. After the excitement died down, the teacher sat at her desk.

"Like I said, this isn't going to be your happy-ending play. Read over your scripts carefully. I want you to memorize your lines by Friday. And make plans to be able to stay after school _and _Saturdays and Sundays from now until July 7th" she said happily. Again, the class groaned in unison.

Once school was finished, the class made their way to the theater room talking excitedly about the play.

"Ok, I need the students who are working with the lights to gather to my right. The special effects and props team, gather to the left. Professor Toshigi will be helping you guys with what you need to do. Please follow him" professor Ochi said. The two groups followed Professor Toshigi out of the theater room. Keigo took a deep breath and placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"It seems that fate is determined to keep me from my friends" he sighed dramatically before following his team. Ichigo shook his head and plopped down on one of the theater seats, clearly uninterested in the events taking place.

"Right, now this play, as you can see, doesn't require many actors. Its impact comes mainly from the special and visual effects. Basically, there are four main characters: The Emperor played by Chad, the princess, Orihime, who will be played by our very own Orihime, Kengyu played by Ichigo, and the ferry man, played by Mizuiro. The overview of the story goes like this," Ochi said, leaning against the edge of the stage and folding the script under her arm, "In the heavens, the Emperor had a daughter whom he loved very much. She was gifted in weaving and the emperor took great pride in the clothes that she made. But Orihime grew unhappier every day because she had no love life. Seeing his daughter so sad, the emperor arranged a marriage with Kengyu". Orihime turned pink at Ochi's last statement. Thinking about being married to Ichigo, even if just for a play, made her stomach feel butterflies and her heart race.

"The couple is so happy that Orihime begins to neglect her work" the teacher continued, "The emperor becomes angry and separates Kengyu and Orihime and allows them to see each other only once a year: On the seventh day of the seventh month. The ferry man carries the princess across the river so they can see each other but sometimes the weather does not permit it. This is what we will be focusing on. This tragedy where Kengyu and Orihime will _not_ be able to see each other" the teacher smirked as she finished her overview. She slammed her script down and mumbled something about men being a pain in the ass.

"Sorry, Kurosaki, but you don't get to kiss the princess this time" Chizuru said happily as she passed by, carrying a large moon-shaped orb in to the next room. She smiled smugly at Ichigo as she closed the door.

"Alright then! Everyone take some time to memorize your first few lines and then we will practice" professor Ochi said, sitting down on one of the theater seats.

Ichigo and his friends were quiet for a few minutes, looking over their lines.

"Uh… professor? It looks like I don't have any lines till further in the story" Mizuiro said looking at his script.

"Oh that's right, Mizuiro, but I still need you here to practice" the professor said, looking over the script herself. "You can come sit next to me" she added and Mizuiro sat next to her, folding his script. It seemed Ochi was bent on making them all work, even if they didn't have to be there.

After a few more minutes, she stood up.

"Ok, Chad, Orihime, take your places on the stage. We are going to practice" she said, and the two students looked at each other. Following Orihime, Chad made his way on to the stage.


	2. Practice Makes Perfect

Chapter 2: Practice Makes Perfect

"Oh, sweet daughter of mine, why are you so sad" Chad said flatly, looking at Orihime. She fumbled with her papers and looked up at Chad who towered over her.

"Father, I am sad because I have… not found true love. Weaving has consumed my time and I fear I… not… sorry… that's not it…. Let me start over" she stammered nervously, glancing at Kurosaki-kun. Having to say her lines in front of him was nerve wrecking. Orihime shook her head and took a deep breath. Placing her script on the floor, she turned to face Chad, giving him her full attention.

"Father!" she began again, this time with more enthusiasm, "I am sad because I have not found true love! Weaving has consumed my time and I fear I will never find my soul mate!" she finished dramatically.

"Yes! Yes! That was perfect Orihime!" Ochi said, standing up. She beamed at Inoue. "Chad, you can't just read the lines. You have to _feel _the lines! _Be _your character! Let's start again!"

The evening passed in much the same manner. Orihime turned out to be a born actress and Chad was improving slightly. At 8 pm, the professor allowed them to go home.

"Keep practicing! Tomorrow the emperor finds Kengyu and the interesting part begins!" Ochi called after them.

"What a waste of time," Ichigo sighed, "I didn't have to be there. My character doesn't appear until tomorrow". Behind them, Chad was practicing his lines quietly.

"I think this play will be lovely" Orihime said happily, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Well at least you guys have a lot of lines. I only have one," Mizuiro said, "I wonder how the others are doing? Professor Toshigi kept them longer". Ichigo shrugged, his hands locked behind his head.

After the group walked Mizuiro to his house, Chad said he would continue alone to his own, leaving Kurosaki and Inoue alone.

"I guess I'll walk you home" Ichigo said to Orihime, stuffing his hands in to his pockets.

"Oh! You don't have to, it's alright" she said quickly, lowering her face so he couldn't see her blush. The last thing she wanted was to be a bother to Kurosaki-kun.

"It's alright, I don't mind" he said as though he had read her mind. Orihime smiled at him and was happy to have him as company. Just being alone with him made her heart skip a beat and she had to fight to keep the butterflies from her stomach.

"Have you felt any Hollow activity in the last week?" Ichigo asked her suddenly.

"No. Well, only weak pressures. Nothing out of the ordinary" she answered thoughtfully after a second.

"Same here. I guess Afro guy is doing his job properly" Ichigo said nonchalantly.

"Have… have you heard from Rukia-chan?" Orihime asked quietly, careful to avoid showing too much emotion. She bit her lip waiting for his answer. Truth was she had been jealous of Kurosaki-kun and Rukia-chan's friendship for a while now. But she felt like a bad person because Rukia-chan was always so nice to her. They were friends and Orihime felt like she was a bad person for feeling jealous of her.

"No. I haven't heard from Soul Society in a while. They said they would call on me if I was needed. Some people eh? I guess this is what being a substitute shinigami is like" Kurosaki-kun said, shrugging his shoulders. Orihime caught the faint note of bitterness in his voice. She could tell it bothered him even if he wouldn't show it, or admit it. She wished she could make him feel better.

"At least you get to enjoy your time off… you know, being a regular teenager" Orihime smiled. Ichigo smiled back at her and they arrived at her house. Turning her back on Kurosaki-kun, Orihime fumbled with her keys. Without thinking, without really knowing why, Ichigo's hand shot forward to touch Inoue's hair, but before he could touch the silky strands, she moved away. Quickly, before Inoue noticed, he slipped his hand in his pocket again. Inoue turned to smile at him again and waved good bye as she closed the door to her house. Ichigo didn't know why he had had the sudden urge to touch her hair, to be close to her, so shaking his head, he pushed the unfamiliar warm feeling way down and out of his mind.

"Ok! There has been a change in the script! I have added a new character" the teacher said brightly the next day in the theater room. The students looked around and Orihime waved happily at Ishida who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his forefinger.

"Ishida, what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"Is there a problem, Kurosaki?" Ishida snapped.

"Quiet down, both of you. Anyway, the story is going to include a dragon! Ishida has agreed to play the role of the dragon so long as he can design the costume himself" Ochi grinned at the five people gathered there.

"What's a dragon have to do with Tanabata?" Ichigo asked, annoyed.

"Well, like I said. This is a tragedy and in this play, the princess and Kengyu will not get to see each other. The reason being is that a dragon is going to destroy the boat, fatally injuring the princess" the professor said laughing sinisterly. The students only looked at each other and Ichigo shook his head muttering under his breath.

After practicing some lines with Chad, it was finally time for Ichigo to step up to the stage. Orihime nervously dropped her script, picked it up, fixed her hair and cleared her throat. She refused to look directly at Kurosaki-kun.

"Orihime, my love," Ichigo began, "today is the day we get to see each other". Orihime almost fainted. Ichigo cleared his throat. "Once I have you in my arms… I intend to make sweet… WHAT? What is _this_? I'm not saying _that_. No way" Ichigo said, turning bright red. Professor Ochi glared at him.

"What's wrong with the script?" she barked.

"I'm not telling Inoue that I'm going to make… uh… to… I'm just not telling her _that_!" Ichigo huffed and crossed his arms. Orihime seemed to be paralyzed and her face was beet red. Ishida snickered and Ichigo glared at him, turning a deep shade of magenta that clashed horribly with his vividly orange hair.

"Fine! I'll change the script" the teacher said, scratching out a few lines on her paper. After a few corrections to the script, the small group continued practicing, Ichigo clearly irritated.

"Ok! So Orihime will be on the boat, and then the dragon is going to come in, swoop over the boat and tilt it over and the princess will drown" Ochi said snickering almost morbidly. "Ishida, pretend you are the dragon and swoop over to Orihime" the teacher said.

"How am I supposed to pretend I'm a dragon?" the Quincy asked moodily.

"Just… flap your arms or something" Ochi said.

Ishida sighed and adjusted his glasses. He spread his arms at his sides and walked over to Orihime.

"Rwar" he said flatly. Ichigo snickered behind them this time. Even Orihime and Mizuiro giggled.

"Shut it Kurosaki!" Ishida snapped furiously, turning bright red. The small group continued to practice all evening.

Soon, the week had gone by and Ichigo and his friends had learned the entire script. The special effects and the props team had almost everything ready.

"Perfect. Once Ishida is finished with his costume, we can begin practicing the play with the props and special effects" the teacher said that Friday evening. "You guys have done well. You can go home now" she said and the classroom cheered.

"So, Ichigo… you get to kiss Inoue, do you?" one of the students asked looking over at Orihime with longing. It was a well-known fact that Orihime Inoue was one of the most beautiful girls in school and almost every guy wanted to be with her.

"Actually, the play is a tragedy" Mizuiro said, texting on his cell phone before Ichigo had time to answer.

"You mean Ichigo really _doesn't_ get to kiss Hime-chan?" Chizuru said happily, looking over at Orihime's chest. Tatsuki punched her arm.

"Stop looking at her that way!" she said angrily.

"What? I'm not doing anything wrong!" Chizuru said, rubbing the place where Tatsuki's fist had punched her. Ichigo rolled his eyes and shook his head, following everyone as they left school and headed home on that warm Friday evening.

"See you later… Kurosaki-kun" Orihime said, waving bye at Ichigo.


	3. Something I Have to Say

Chapter 3: Things Left Unsaid

The next day, Orihime sat at the edge of the lake. The day was sunny and the sky blue. The breeze toyed with her long, red strands of hair. Taking another piece of bread from the bag she was holding, she broke it off in to pieces and tossed them out at the ducks that had gathered. She smiled to herself. It was such a beautiful day. Sitting back, she stretched out her legs in front of her and looked up at the sky.

"Hey, Inoue!" she heard the voice call out. Immediately her face brightened and she stood up, brushing herself off. She recognized his voice. She always recognized his voice, even if she couldn't see him.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she said happily as she waved at him. He pulled a hand out of his pocket and waved lazily back at her, a small smile curving his lips. Her cheeks turned pink.

"I thought I saw you as I was walking by. It's pretty hot, though. You wanna go get an ice cream?" Kurosaki asked once he stood beside her. Her eyes sparkling, she agreed. She tossed the left over bread in to the lake for the ducks and they made their way to town. They walked in silence but Orihime didn't mind that Kurosaki-kun wasn't the talkative type. His seriousness and quiet demeanor were traits she was used to. That's why she cherished the rare occasions when his serious face broke in to a smile, especially if the smile was meant for her. Besides, they had been spending every evening together practicing for the play.

Once they had their ice cream cone, they began walking around town. The festival had already started for the day and a lot of tents had gone up, selling goodies and trinkets and food. There were games and puppet shows and dancing along with mechanical rides. The festivities lasted almost all day and all night. It would continue throughout the next week.

"Oh look! Isn't it cute?" Inoue exclaimed, pointing at a giant stuffed animal that was hanging at a nearby tent. Ichigo looked to where his redheaded friend was pointing.

"I think you have to play their game to win it" he said taking a bite of his ice cream cone. Inoue nodded and Ichigo smiled. Together, they stopped in front of the tent.

"Wanna have a go? If you hit all ten moving targets, you win a prize" the man said, gawking lewdly at an unaware Orihime. Ichigo caught the man's eye and glared at him, standing protectively in front of Inoue. The man turned away immediately and began the game, handing Ichigo a tray with ten darts. Ichigo prepared to win this game easily.

"Kurosaki, you think you can do this? Maybe it's better if I do it" someone said from behind him. Ichigo turned around to see who it was. Ishida pushed his glasses up with his forefinger, smiling.

"Don't worry, if you can do it, I can definitely do it" Ichigo said confidently and took his stance.

"Ishida-kun! What are you doing here?" Orihime asked happily.

"Just passing by to get some supplies for the costume" he said, turning his attention to Inoue. In that moment, ten darts pierced the air and hit their target in quick succession. The people who had been waiting their turn around them broke out in to applause.

"That's the fastest anyone has ever beat the game!" the man said in awe.

"Yeah, yeah, so do we get to choose our price?" Ichigo asked. He had still not forgotten the way the man had ogled Orihime.

"Yes, of course" the man said, and Inoue squealed with excitement. After telling the man which stuffed animal she wanted, they went on their way, Ishida saying good bye to them and heading his own way.

"You sure about that thing?" Ichigo asked, "You know Kon might get some weird ideas".

Inoue smiled. Ichigo had beat the game for her so that she could have this stuffed animal. It was precious to her already.

"Yes, I'm sure" she said quietly.

"You think professor Ochi really did break up with her boyfriend?" Ichigo asked, yawning.

"I don't know. Maybe. She's been acting a bit different and kind of mean to the opposite sex" Orihime laughed.

"I wished she would have come up with a different idea than that stupid play" Ichigo said, putting his hands behind his head.

"Well, I think it's going to be lovely. I have a good feeling about it" Orihime answered happily. Ichigo looked at her quizzically. She smiled at him but said no more.

After spending all afternoon with Kurosaki-kun, the sun was beginning to set. The streets were overflowing with people enjoying the festival and the smell of food and loud music filled the air.

"I guess it's time to head home" Ichigo said, stretching his arms.

"Yeah… it's gonna be dark soon" Orihime said quietly. "You think the people will be alright?" she asked suddenly.

"What do you mean? You mean Hollows? Yeah, they'll be fine. I haven't felt anything and I'm sure Af-san can handle it. If anything happens, we are always here to help, right?" Ichigo answered her, "besides, nothing happened last week. No need to worry".

They walked in silence until they reached her house. She looked up at Ichigo, hugging her stuffed animal tightly. She smiled.

"Wanna come in and have something to eat?" she asked brightly.

"Uh…" Ichigo hesitated for a bit. He knew Inoue's cooking wasn't the best. Not that she was an awful cook, but just the things she ate were, well… weird. Freaky.

"Well, I'm not really hungry, but I would like something to drink" he said finally, unwilling to hurt her feelings.

Orihime opened the door and let him inside. Ichigo was familiar with her house, but they had never been alone together. Thinking about that made her heart skip a beat and her cheeks turned bright red. Ichigo didn't seem to mind.

"You alright, Inoue?" he asked, looking at her. That made her even more nervous. She hurried to the kitchen.

"I'm fine" she called out. A few minutes later, she came back with a tray full of sweet bread and two cups of tea. She placed them at the coffee table.

"Thanks" Ichigo said, grateful that she hadn't prepared anything sinister. Orihime just stared at him. He shifted uncomfortably and opted for taking a piece of sweet bread and taking a bite. Orihime bit her lip and continued to stare at him, apparently unaware of what she was doing. Ichigo cringed inwardly. She could be such an air-head sometimes. But that was one of the things he liked about her.

"Inoue… are you sure you're ok?" Ichigo asked, looking at her as though she had sprouted antlers.

"Kurosaki-kun" she said softly, scooting closer to him. He did not move away. It was like he had frozen in place. They were so close together now, looking at each other. The house was silent but the sounds of the carnival could be heard through the open window.

Taking a deep breath, Orihime opened her mouth to speak.

"Kurosaki-kun… I just wanted to-" but she was interrupted. Ichigo had shifted in his place and knocked over a cup of scalding tea on to his lap.

"Shit!" he blurted, getting to his feet swiftly.

"Kurosaki-kun! Are you seriously hurt?" Orihime asked, and quickly grabbed the cloth that she had brought out with her. Without thinking, she began to dab at Ichigo's lap and groin area, trying to dry him off. He caught her wrist with his hand immediately and stopped her.

"I'm fine, Inoue, I got it. It's ok" he said, clearing his throat and moving her hand away. His cheeks had turned slightly pink. Orihime realized then what she had been doing and turned red herself, unable to make eye contact with Ichigo. She was mortified.

"I think I better go home and change" he said and walked to the door, opening it. He turned at the door and smiled at her. "Good night… Inoue" he said.

"Okay… good night… Kurosaki-kun" she said quietly as he closed the door. Groaning with mortification, she leaned against her door and closed her eyes. So close… she had been so close to telling him… Shaking her head, she went to her room and turned out the lights.


	4. Are You Ready?

The Chapter 4: Are You Ready?

The next week passed by rather quickly. Neither Orihime nor Ichigo mentioned what had happened on that Saturday. It was as though it had not happened. Orihime didn't know if that made her happy or sad, but she was glad that Kurosaki-kun hadn't acted any different towards her. The entire class had been practicing all week with the special effects and props teams and they felt confident that everything was going to turn out alright.

"So… the play is tomorrow… are you guys ready?" Keigo said after school, walking beside Ichigo, Mizuiro and Chad.

"I think it's going to be alright" Chad said in his deep voice. Ichigo shrugged.

"I'm just glad this whole thing is almost over" he said nonchalantly.

"It's really too bad you don't get to kiss Inoue" Keigo said closing his eyes blissfully.

"Blame it on Ochi. She doesn't want Ichigo to have a happy love life because her boyfriend broke up with her" Chizuru said gleefully from behind them. She was walking alongside Tatsuki and Orihime, the latter whom was red and silent.

"Hey girls! What are you doing here?" Keigo said, falling back to walk with the trio.

"We are gonna go to the festival. We haven't had a chance to really enjoy it because Ochi had us cooped up in that theater room" Tatsuki said grinning at Keigo.

"Cool! We can enjoy the festival together!" he said in a loud voice.

"Keigo, do you have to be so loud?" Mizuiro asked calmly while texting on his cell phone.

"Seriously, that guy gets weirder every day" Keigo said, pointing at Mizuiro.

The group of friends made their way to the festivities. Once there, they spent their time riding the mechanical rides and eating junk food to their hearts content. Orihime bought a huge cotton candy and shared it with Tatsuki and Chizuru.

"Hime-chan! You wanna go on that rollercoaster with me?" Chizuru said, hugging Orihime from behind.

"No way! I will go on that roller coaster with you! No way am I leaving Orihime alone with you!" Tatsuki said while pulling the scarlet-haired girl behind her.

Orihime giggled and continued eating her candy.

"Inoue" Ichigo said, coming up behind her.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she said, smiling.

"Listen, I have these spare tickets to go on the Ferris wheel. I won them off that same guy where we got your stuffed animal from, remember?" Ichigo said, showing her the pair of tickets.

"You… want me to ride with you on the Ferris wheel?" she asked, a bit surprised but pleased that he would ask her.

"Yeah, sure. Why not? I thought you might like it" he said sheepishly.

"I'd love to Kurosaki-kun" she said shyly. On impulse, Ichigo took her hand in his and gently pulled her along behind him.

"So you don't get lost in the crowd" he said, looking at her and smiling his endearing crooked smile.

Orihime's heart almost stopped working. To have him hold her hand in his was something she only ever dreamed about.

Ichigo wasn't sure why, but he liked holding the small, delicate hand of his friend. It made him feel ten feet tall and over protective. Something about this bubbly redhead was so adorable to him, though he would never ever say that out loud. He felt something in his chest, but he was not sure what it was so he ignored it completely.

They both got on the gondola and it was obvious they were both nervous. A moment of awkward silence passed before the wheel started turning.

"Oh! I know… you should take a picture of use when we are at the top" Orihime said enthusiastically turning to face Ichigo.

"Yeah, ok… that's cool" Ichigo said, relieved to break the awkward silence.

Orihime pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and gave it to Ichigo.

"It sure looks nice from up here" Orihime said leaning forward to better see the view as the Ferris wheel slowly ascended.

"Yes, the view is beautiful" Ichigo agreed. Except he wasn't looking out at the city. He was looking straight at his redheaded friend. Even he had to admit she was stunning. Her long red hair and big grey eyes were something he had always found appealing. And her personality was so refreshing to him. The way she could smile and be happy even when she was alone in the world, having lost her only brother was amazing to Ichigo. He really liked that about her. He liked a lot of things about her if he was honest with himself. When Orihime turned to look at him, his breath caught in his throat. He wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but lately he felt something strange whenever he was with Inoue. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, simply because he didn't know what was going on. Or maybe he just didn't want to admit it. Whatever it was, he had to sort himself out fast.

Inoue sat next to Ichigo so he could take their picture. She scooted closer to him so that they would both fit in the frame of the cell phone camera and the proximity made her feel giddy. She could feel his warm, firm body and she loved it. She wanted badly to lean back against him but was afraid she might seem too forward, so she resisted the urge.

"Ready, Inoue?" he asked, angling the phone so that he could take a good picture, "1…2…3".

There was a click, then a flash. Inoue took her cell from Ichigo and looked at the picture.

"I love it!" she said happily, hugging her phone to her chest.

"Ichigo! Inoue!" came a voice from behind them. Turning back to see who it was, they saw Keigo waiving at them from the gondola right behind them. Ichigo shook his head while Orihime waved back at Keigo, laughing…

"Hurry up! We don't have that much time left!" the teacher was saying at the top of her lungs. The class had been hard at work getting everything ready for the play that very night. Almost everything was ready. Chad, Ishida and Keigo were tying the rope around the metal rings on the dragon that were going to help it stay in the air.

"Ishida, what the hell did you make this out of? And why is the dragon white?" Keigo panted as he helped Chad lift the enormous dragon on to the metal hoops.

"Never mind that, just make sure it's secure!" Ishida snapped, fastening the rope to the dragon costume.

"Mizuiro, who all is here?" Ichigo asked from behind the huge red curtain. He was getting dressed for his role.

"Don't know, let me check" Mizuiro said, and peered out from behind the curtain.

"It's slowly filling up. I can see your sisters and your dad. Also Urahara-san and everyone from his shop. And Kuchiki-san is here too with her redhead friend" Mizuiro said.

"What?" Ichigo said, peering from behind the curtain as well. "Everyone is here! How did they find out?" he asked to no one in general.

Indeed, everyone was there. His family, everyone from Urahara's shop. Rukia and Renji. Matsumoto and the rest of the gang. Ichigo suddenly became embarrassed. How did they all know?

"It seems that everyone we know is here" Orihime said quietly catching Ichigo by surprise. She was also peering through the curtain.

"How did they know?" he asked her.

"Urahara-san told them" she said simply.

"And who told him?" Ichigo insisted.

"I think it might have been Karin" Orihime answered. She took a deep breath and stepped away. "That makes things more difficult for me. I have serious stage fright" she confessed.

"Don't worry, you're gonna be fine" Mizuiro said reassuringly with a smile.

After half an hour, the theater room was full. The soft humming of the people talking was overwhelming for the students who would be performing the play. They all seemed to be nervous as they were walking back and forth. Ichigo was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, head bowed. Then the lights were turned down low and the humming stopped. They heard Ochi speaking to the audience.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, the students of Karakura High School, will be performing this beautiful tragedy of the Tanabata. I hope you all enjoy it" she said into the microphone.

There was applause and it was time for the first two students to head out on to the stage. Orihime looked at Chad who only stared back at her.

"I… I think that's our turn" she said nervously.


	5. The Play

Chapter 5: The Play

Orihime and Chad got in to their respective places as the velvet curtain slowly lifted. Inoue was pretending to weave a garment, looking sad, and Chad walked up to her. The light focused only on them and the theater went silent. There was a short pause in which Chad seemed to have frozen in place. He was neither moving nor speaking. After a few seconds of silence, from the side of the stage where no one could see her, professor Ochi whispered loudly: "Oh sweet daughter! Oh sweet daughter, Chad!"

"Oh, sweet daughter of mine, why are you so sad?" Chad said finally, looking at Orihime. Orihime battled the urge to laugh by clearing her throat.

"Father, I am sad because I have not found true love! Weaving has consumed my time and I fear I will never find my soul mate" she said sadly, still weaving. A single tear dropped from her eye. There was an "Awww" from the crowd.

"My beloved daughter, do not cry… I cannot bear it. Let me find for you a man worthy" Chad said and the curtain dropped. The audience clapped.

"Great job guys!" Ochi said as people hurried to change the scene. Chad seemed to gain confidence and was ready to be on stage again as the second act opened. This time it was him and Ichigo.

When the curtain lifted again, Ichigo heard Renji and the other shinigami snicker. He gritted his teeth and tried hard to ignore them. _Assholes_, he said under his breath.

"Kengyu… I have heard many things about you. Uh… many _great_ things about you" Chad corrected himself quickly. "Therefore, I have chosen you to marry my beloved Orihime"

"Tentei, your highness… uh… sure, yeah… I'll marry the princess" Ichigo said lamely, completely forgetting his line. _It's that dumbass Renji's fault for laughing at me!_ he thought angrily to himself. He had the powerful urge to stuff his hands in his pockets, but of course, his costume didn't have any. Ochi struck a palm to her face from the side of the stage, glaring at Ichigo.

The curtain dropped once more.

"Ichigo, what was that?" Ochi demanded. She was clearly annoyed and looked even more deranged than before.

"Eh," Ichigo shrugged, "least I did it, right?"

The rest of the class was hurrying up to prepare the next scene. Ishida was being helped in to his huge costume by Keigo and Mizuiro but the three of them seemed to be having difficulties.

The curtain opened again for act three.

"Daughter of mine! You have neglected your work for far too long! I thought that by finding you a worthy husband, you would be happy and continue making these cloths fit for gods, but you have failed. For months now you have stopped working. That is unacceptable" Chad said to a weeping Orihime. Kengyu, her husband, was standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

"Please, your highness, give her a chance to prove herself once again" Ichigo said. His brow furrowed when he heard Renji snicker again.

"Alas, I cannot do that. I must send you away. On the seventh day of the seventh month you may come back to see your wife, my daughter" Chad said, towering over both Orihime and Ichigo. Orihime wept loudly.

"Please father, no!" she said dramatically, clinging to Ichigo. Even though it was just a play, being this close to Kurosaki-kun had her pulse racing.

"Be gone!" Chad bellowed making strange hand movements.

There was a loud crack, a puff of smoke and Ichigo was gone. The audience clapped and Ochi danced a little jig from the side. She was grinning from ear to ear as the curtain dropped.

"That was great you guys! The special effects team really came through!" she said happily.

A few moments later, Ichigo came out from the door that led to the basement, a murderous look on his face.

"Shit you guys, couldn't you have at least put some pillows or something so that I could land?" Ichigo snapped, rubbing his behind.

"Stop complaining Ichigo" Ochi said, elbowing him out of the way as she passed him by and went out to meet the audience. She began to narrate part of the story.

"As you can see, after princess Orihime married Kengyu, she neglected her work, so much so that her father sent Kengyu away. It has been a year now since they last saw each other. This is their encounter" she said into the microphone.

"Ishida… are you ready?" Keigo asked. He and Tatsuki, along with two others, were going to be the ones hoisting the dragon up, holding the ropes from the sides.

"I… I think so… but I seem to be kind of stuck" Ishida said. His voice was muffled by the costume.

"Well, it's too late now, the curtain is about to open!" Tatsuki hissed and right on cue, the red velvet curtain opened once again to show Orihime, standing at the edge of the river, which was made of cardboard and water colors.

"Oh, Ferry man, please! Hurry! Hurry and take me to my beloved Ichigo… I mean... to my beloved Kengyu" Orihime said, turning a dark shade of red.

"Yes, your highness. As you wish. It looks like the weather is kind of rough today, though" Mizuiro said his only lines awesomely and Ochi grinned, giving him a thumbs up from the side of the stage.

Mizuiro helped Orihime into the boat which was being moved by ropes and operated by Chizuru and another student. It wobbled greatly as it began to move.

"Oh! Is it gonna hold?" Orihime said loudly without thinking. She turned pink. "Sorry, that's not part of the dialogue" she said to the audience apologetically. There was general chuckling from the people gathered at the theater.

Ochi covered her face with her hands, shaking her head.

"Oh no, ferry man, look! It's a vicious dragon!" Orihime said, pointing straight at the ceiling. At that instant, Keigo, Tatsuki and the two others struggled to lower Ishida on to the stage, but somehow they managed. Gently the dragon Ishida began to swing his way towards the boat.

"RWAAAR!" he yelled as loud and ferociously as he could. There was a snort, and then a cackle of laughter from behind the curtain and from the side of the stage. It was Chizuru and Keigo who couldn't stop laughing. In fact, Keigo was laughing so hard that he couldn't hold on to the rope. It slipped right through his fingers, unbalancing the great dragon and pulling Tatsuki with it. She yelled and let go of the rope, fearing for her well-being. Ishida let out a yelp as he dangled dangerously from the ceiling, the two other students trying hard to hang on tight to his ropes. Chad appeared for his next lines.

"Daughter, fear not, for I will save you from that wretched dragon" he boomed, seemingly unaware of the dangerous situation Ishida was in.

Just then, one of the weaker students trying to hold on to Ishida stumbled and fell. Two others rushed in to help but it was too late. Ishida swung forward, nearly knocking Mizuiro and Orihime off the boat. Orihime squealed and Mizuiro grabbed on to her hand, to prevent her from falling. Chad caught the dragon by the head and gave it a mighty swing, much to Ishida's horror. He swung back with high speed due to Chad's strength. There were "Ooos" and "Aaas" from the audience who was still unaware that the situation was getting out of control. Ishida was yelling his head off inside the costume, but for all it just sounded like an angry dragon.

"Ichigo! Do something!" Tatsuki yelled, as Keigo was doubled over laughing at the whole thing. Ichigo peered out in to the audience and made an impromptu appearance.

"Fear not, my princess, it is I who will save you from that dragon" he said, striking a heroic pose.

But Ichigo failed to realize that at that moment, the dragon Ishida was swinging right his way. He crashed against Ichigo, making the orange-haired young man fly forward, knocking over Mizuiro who let out a yelp as he crashed down and over the stage. Orihime barely caught Ichigo in her arms as the boat nearly tipped over. Chad was frantically trying to grab on to Ishida to stop him. Ochi was horrified that her play was out of control.

"Make it work, guys, make it work!" she hissed angrily at the people on the stage.

"Oh, my love. You came to see me! You really came to see me" Orihime said loudly so she could be heard over the ruckus Chad and Ishida were making, along with the snorts of laughter coming from backstage.

"Of course I came to see you. I… I love you" Ichigo said, standing up and holding on to Orihime's arms so that she would not fall over.

The audience was captivated. Ichigo stared at Orihime and she stared back at him. There was a loud shriek and then Keigo came flying through the air and landed right on top of the poor swinging Ishida, so that now the two young men were swinging back and forth from the ceiling, Chad still trying to catch them.

"You idiot! You could have really hurt Hime-chan!" both Tatsuki and Chizuru were yelling at Keigo from the side of the stage, clearly forgetting that the play was still going on. And still, Orihime and Ichigo were looking at each other, ignoring everyone else.

"I love you… too" Orihime said, looking straight into Kurosaski's eyes. It seemed that the two redheads were oblivious to their surroundings. Ichigo placed his hands on her waist and pulled her close. Orihime's heart began to race and her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink…


	6. The Finale

Chapter 6: The Finale

Professor Ochi looked like she was about to pop an artery. She was annoyed and yelling her head off at the students, as they all tried their best to stop the swinging Ishida. But with Keigo's added weight, it was harder than it looked.

Meanwhile, on stage, Ichigo wrapped his arms around the beautiful redhead and she stood on tip toes, sliding her arms around his neck.

"Kurosaki-kun…" Inoue said, completely forgetting about the play and the fact that there was an audience entranced by their genuine display of affection. All that mattered to her at this moment was that Kurosaki was holding her like he never had before, and that he was getting closer and closer. So close she could feel his breath fanning her face. So close she was getting lost in his eyes… so close that she felt she was going to faint. Then he gently pressed his lips against hers, fisting her hair with his hand and pulling her closer still so that she was lifted from the floor. The world stopped. Orihime could faintly hear somebody yelling something that sounded like "THAT'S NOT PART OF THE SCRIPT!" but she didn't care. It was as though it was coming from some far off place, far, far away from this heaven she was in. She tightened her arms Kurosaki-kun and the kiss intensified. The moist warmth of his lips as he parted them over hers almost sent Orihime reeling. Surely she had fainted and this was all just a dream… right? There was a loud crashing noise, and suddenly her heaven was flipped over. She felt Kurosaki-kun tighten his arms around her as they came crashing down, boat and all. Ichigo turned so that he would take the blow when they landed.

"Inoue! Are you alright?" he asked lying beneath her. She looked down at him and smiled.

"I'm ok, are you, Kurosaki-kun?" she replied breathlessly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What happened?" he asked as she climbed off of him, dusting herself off. Together, they turned to the scene on the stage.

It was a mess. Chad had finally caught Ishida and Keigo, but the monstrous dragon had come crashing down and destroyed the props and the scene. Keigo was helping a very disheveled Ishida out of the costume while Chad was being scolded by Ochi.

"And you!" she barked rounding on Orihime and Ichigo as they made their way up the stage, "how dare you do… _that_... to my scene?"

Clearly, nobody was paying attention to the audience anymore.

"Do what?" Orihime asked wide eyed.

"You ruined my tragedy! It wasn't supposed to be a love story!" Ochi snapped.

"How did we ruin it? I think it was lovely" Orihime said shyly without looking at Kurosaki.

"By doing this" Ichigo said, and without another word, he pulled Inoue in for another kiss. The audience seemed to be quite entertained, cheering Ichigo on.

Mizuiro came forward and took the microphone as Ochi shook her head.

"And that is the story of Tanabata. The princess and Kengyu lived happily ever after, for the next five lifetimes. The end" he said and the audience burst in to even more cheers and applause. They wolf-whistled and stomped their feet and clapped and cheered. Ochi was in awe. She wasn't expecting her failed class project to be such a success after such a mess.

Behind them, Ichigo was still holding Orihime. She looked dazed. The curtain fell one last time.

"Alright, alright… break it up you two" Ochi said, but she was smiling.

"You two love birds should get a room" Tatsuki said with a mischievous grin on her face. Chizuru looked livid.

"Kurosaki! You better take care of her! You're not good enough for her, you hear?" she snapped.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, put a sock in it, Chizuru" Ichigo said, and taking Inoue by the hand, they made their way out of the theater.

"Shouldn't we help them clean up?" Inoue asked him as they walked away and towards her house.

"Nah, they can do it. Besides, it was thanks to us the play was such a success" Ichigo said, looking at her and giving her one of his rare smiles.

In comfortable silence, as if they had been doing this forever, Ichigo and Orihime walked hand in hand to her apartment, but to their surprise, it was not empty.

Matsumoto burst out of the door and leaned over the railing of the stairs, her massive boobs almost popping out of her shirt.

"Yoohoo!" she waved at them, "you two have a lot of explaining to do!" she chirped and opened the bottle of wine she was holding. The cork hit Ichigo smack in the middle of his forehead.

"Oi! What are you doing in Inoue's house?" he asked, rubbing his forehead. Just then, the rest of the gang poured out of Orihime's apartment, holding party poppers, and sporting silly party hats on their heads. Balloons streamed out of the open door. How they all fit in to such a small room was beyond Ichigo. He just stared at them all. Orihime let out a squeal of delight and ran up the stairs to hug Matsumoto.

"You have some explaining to do, missy!" Matsumoto said, hugging Inoue and dragging her inside. Rukia made her way outside and crossed her arms over her chest, looking at Ichigo and smiling.

"So you finally realized, huh?" she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Ichigo said, stuffing his hands inside his pockets.

Rukia grinned and shook her head.

"I'm happy for you, Ichigo" she said, but just then, Renji came out and grabbed her hand. He turned and gave Ichigo a thumbs up before heading inside.

Ichigo chuckled. _Looks like I'm not the only one that realized, _he thought to himself, climbing up the stairs.

But the after party is a story for another day.

The End.

**A/N: **_Hi guys! I hope you all enjoyed this silly little story of mine. I would love to get some reviews. This is actually the piece I submitted for a contest, so wish me luck! And please, rate and review? I would be much obliged :)_


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